COT
cou
the Indians tftana cua. It grows to fix or feven feet high ; the leaves are of a lively green, but fomething paler on the upper fide than the lower; the flowers are four leaved, white, and fhaped like a bell; the fruit is three cornered, and divided into three cells, containing a number of triangular feeds. The root always contracts a bitternefs, and grows darker coloursd in keeping, though frefh it was pale and fweet ; and hence the iuppofed difference, the defcriptions of authors agreeing alike to each in all but thefe accidents.
The leaves of the common garden coJlmary,-&xz ftomacbicand detergent. They are given with fuccefs againft crudities of the ftomach, belchings, and vomittings after meals. They have alfo great reputation for the curing an oftenfive breath, heart-burns, and many of the mod obftinate and inveterate hcad-achs, the caufes of which lie in the ftomach,
COTATUA, in natural hiftory, a name given by the people of the Philippine iflands to a fpecies of parrot, called alfo calan- gay. It is all over white, and has a creft of feathers on the head. It is of the bignefs of a common pigeon.
Cotatua major is a very beautiful fpecies of parrot, common in the woods of the Philippine iflands. This is of the fize of a common hen. It is all over white, except that its beak and legs' are black; its tongue alfo is black. This is the moll: cafily taught to talk of any of the parrot kind, and when taught, fpeaks the moftdiftinctly of all the kinds.
COTE, a term ufed in courfmg, to exprefs the advantage one greyhound has over another, when he runs by the fide of it, and, putting before it, gives the hare a turn. See the article Coursing.
Corz-gare, akindof refufe wool, fo clung or clotted together, that it cannot be pulled afunder. By 13 Rich li. Stat, i.e.g. it is provided, that neither denizen or foreigner make any other refufe of wools but cote-gare and villein. So the printed ftatute has it: but in the parliament roll of that year, it is cod-la>-d and villein. Cot, or cote, fignifies as much as cottage in many places, and was Verftegan.
COTES WOLD, feveral fbeep-cotes, and fheep feeding bn hills. It comes from the Saxon cote, i. e. cafa, a cottage, and wo d, a place where there is no wood.
COTICULA, in the natural hiftory of the antients, the word by which the Romans exprefled the aWi; of the Greeks ; a ftone of very great hardnefs, brought from Armenia, and ufed on many occations 5 one of which was, the working on fitch of the harder ftones as iron inftruments would not touch. Many of the antieut Greeks, who had this ftone from the ifland of Cyprus, called it, from its hardnefs, by the fame name with the diamond, as they fornetimes did iron alfo; which manner of writing has much milled thofe who have copied too carelefsly from them ; and even Pliny, who after having in one part of his book given a right account of this ftone, and called it cos, in another gives a different hiftory of it, miftak- ing it fo_r a diamond.
This coticu'.a was long in great efteem with the antient arti- ficers on gems, and ferved not only to work upon fuch of the gems as iron could not touch, but was ufed to boreholes thro'
COTTUS, in ichthyology, the name of a genus of the acaii- thopterygious fifties, the characters of which are thefe : the branchioftege membrane on each fide contains fix very diftindr. bones : the head is broader than the body, and is deprefled and prickly: there are two fins on the back; the forcmoft has fe- veral flexile prickles in it. The fins of the belly arc final], and have only four bones .in each, and the fkin of the whole fifh is fmooth, notfcaly. The fpecies of this genus are three : I. The fmooth coitus, with two prickles on the head. This is thelittle fifh which we call the miller's thumb. ?.. The rough coitus, with four horn-like prickles in the middle of the head. This is the fifh called by the Swedes the farn/mper. The up- per jaw is a little longer than the under one. 3. The fmooth coitus, with feveral fpines on the head, and with the upper jaw longer than the under. This is the fearpio marina of Schon- veld, and the fcorptsna of Beilonius. The head is very prickly, but it has none of thofe horns in the middle which the former has. 4. The coitus, with feveral cirri, and with an octangular body. This is the cataphraS/us or pogge. 5 The coitus, with the fecond fin of the back white. This feems to be the dracun- cuius marinus of Rondeletius, and other authors. Artedi, Gen. Pifc. 34, See Dracuncuxus, &c. COTULA, in botany, the name of a ,:enus of plants, the cha- racters of which are thefe : the flower is in fome plants ra-i diated, and in others flofculous : thedifk is compofed of flof- cules, and the outer circle, where there is one, of femiflofcules. 1 hefe all ftand upon the embryo feeds, and arc all contained in a general fquammofe cup. The embryos finally ripen into feeds, which are flat, heart-fafhioned, and alated. The fpecies of cotula enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe : r . The yellow flowered, radiated cotula, called by many the cotula leav'd oxeye. 2. The cotuli, with yellow naked flow- ers. 3. The dwarf, procumbent, Portugal estu.'a : and, 4. The African cohv.a, with a beautiful blue cup. Town. Inft. P-49S- fo ufed by the Saxons, according to j Cotula fcetida, a name given by fome to the ftinicing chames- ' mile. See Cham zemelum.
The cotula fcetida has all the virtues of caftor, but in a more remifs degree. A decoction of it, when carefully dried, is of great ufe in all dil'orders of the hyfteric kind. It is alfo ufed externally, by way of fomentation, in pains and tumors. Some alfo ufe the exprefled juice of the frefh leaves, as a re- medy in fcrophulous cafes The flowers have much the fame virtues as thofe of the common chamomile. COTURNIX, in zoology, the aitailj the leaft of all the birds of the gallinaceous kind. They have, however, the o-enius of the cock kind, and may be bred to fight like our gamecocks: This was an old cuftom among the Athenians, and h ftill kept up in fome parts of Italy, and in Afia Ray's Ornithol. p. 122. COTYLEDON, in botany, a name by which fome authors call the umbilicus veneris, or navelvjort, a round-leaf'd plant, found on old walls. Town. Inft. p. 90. SeeNAVEL-wwr/. COTYL1SCU3, or Cotvlus, in antiquity, a veflel with a narrow mouth, a very wide belly, and only one handle. Pitijc. Lex. Ant. in voc.
fuch as they ftrung on threads, and hung in rows in their or- 1 COTYTTIA, or Cotyttis, in antiquity, a nocturnal fefti-
naments of the bracelet kind. And Pliny's account of the other gems being bored with Cyprian diamonds, means no more, than that they were worked with this coticula. which was antiently had from the ifland of Cyprus, and afterwards from Armenia, and was called by fome, in a metaphorical fenfe, adamas, from its great hardnefs. Hill's Theophr. p. 108.
Coticula is alfo a name given by many to the touch-ftone ; notfrom its being of the nature of the coticula of the Romans, but from its being, for the convenience of carriage and ufe, frequently found in the fhape of a whetftone.
COTINUti, in botany, the name of a genus of trees, the cha- racters of which are thefe : the flower is of the rofaceous kind, or compofed of feveral petals, arranged in a circular form. From the cup of the flower there arifes a piftil, which finally becomes a fruit : This does not ripen in Europe, but feems to be of the unicapfular kind, and is placed on branches, which terminate in villofe capillaments. Town. Inft. p. 61 0. The only known fpecies of the cotinus, is the cot'mus coriarla, or coccygria.
Cotinus was alfo ufed by the antients for the olive tree, efpecially the oleafivejhis, or wild olive, which is always called cotinus, xaiUes, by the Greeks. To diftinguifh this from the fhrub ufed in dying, and called by the fame name, the Latins have added the epithet coriaria to this laft : but as this is often omitted, fome confufion has been occafioned by that cminion. The cotinus of the Latins, or cotinus coriaria, is at prefent call- ed by the Italians fcotano, and is fuppofed by fome to be the fame with the fcjthicum lignum, but improperly. See Scythi- cum lignum.
COTON ASTER, in botany, a name given by feveral authors to a fpecies of the cratagus, called by Mr. Tournefort the cra- tagus, with oblong ferrated leaves, green on both fides. See Crataegus.
COTTON [Cycl.) — Philofophic Cotton, a name given by fome chemical writers to the flowers of zink, from their whitenefs, and filky or cottony appearance, bupPL. Vol. I.
val, in honour of Cotys, or Cotytta, the goddefs of wanton- nefs. Pitt. Archasol. Graec. 1 2. c. 20. COUCH. See Wzr-ccucb.
Couch, in heraldry, a term ufed to exprefs the fhield of a coat of arms, when it does not ftand erect, but hangs downward. The origin of this pofition of the fhield feems to have been,, that the perfons who were to fight in tournaments were com- pelled, from the time that proclamation was made till the day of fighting, to hang up their fhields, by one corner, from the windows or balconies of the neighbouring houfes, or on the trees or barriers of the ground, if the excrcife was performed in the fields. The horfe combatants hung up their fhields by the left corner, and the foot combatants by the right. Hence the left corner hanging became the moft honourable ; and we fee, in all the fons of the royal blood of England and Scotland, that the fhields with their arms all hang that way. Some writers on heraldry exprefs this difpolition by the word pendant. Nijlei's Herald, p. 12. COUCHER, orCouRCHER, in our ftatutes, is ufed for a fac- tor, or one that continues in fome place or country for traffic ; as formerly in Gafcoign, for the buying of wines. Anno 37 Edw. Ill, c. 16. Coucher is alfo ufed forthe general book, in which any reli- gious houfe or corporation regifter their particular acts. Anno 3 and 4 Edw. VI. c. 1 o. COVERTURE (Cycl.)— By thelaw of England, coverture, in fome cafes, will excufe the woman from the pains of felon v, &c. Vid Hawk, P. C. 1. j. c. r. Htc Feme evert. COUGH (Cycl.) — convufive Cough. The method of cure often followed in this difeafe, is by evacuations: but this has been obferved rather to prevent the difeafe from becoming fa- tal, than to fhorten it, fuch coughs continuing feveral months notwithstanding. However, a remiflion for fome days hap- pens after bleeding and purging, efpecially when the purgatives work upwards as well as downwards. Pectorals, halfamics ' and attcnuants have been fornetimes found to do little or no 7 N £ ood:
